Hawaiian Airlines Revitalizes Boeing 717 Fleet

Hawaiian Airlines, Hawai'i's largest and longest-serving carrier, today announced completion of a comprehensive retrofit on the first of its 18 Boeing 717 aircraft, featuring an island-inspired interior cabin redesign and new lightweight Main Cabin seating from Acro Aircraft Seating Ltd.

"These new, modern design elements rejuvenate the interiors of our Boeing 717s while allowing us to deliver a consistent onboard experience for our guests," said Peter Ingram, chief commercial officer for Hawaiian Airlines. "The new lightweight seats are engineered to ensure a maximum amount of personal space without compromising legroom or comfort."

Previously, five different cabin configurations were operating among Hawaiian's neighbor island fleet. When all reconfigurations are complete later this year, the identical galley, lavatory, and 128-seat configuration onboard each aircraft will provide a consistent onboard experience for travelers while decreasing the airline's operational complexity.

Intended to evoke high-performance automotive design, the new Main Cabin seats complement the fast and reliable service of Hawaiian's 20 to 60 minute flights. The seatbacks offer a 'tablet table' machined from solid aluminum, sized and designed for complimentary beverage service and the use of a tablet device.

The refreshed interior color palette connects travelers with the elements of the islands through earth tones, a deep aqua seat, and accents of fuchsia and sky blue. Contrast stitching in the upholstery brings out natural forms of the islands. Other design elements include new seat covers and leather arm caps in First Class; new carpeting, galley flooring and curtains; and new forward windows on certain aircraft.

The airline's entire narrow-body fleet, which operates more than 160 short haul flights daily between the islands of the state, will be retrofitted to feature these new cabin enhancements by the end of 2015.